The ABC's of Trip Reporting- PLEASE JOIN US ON THE NEW THREAD!

[that's nice]

Evenin' all! I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Wish I was able to get to your DIS meet... it is a tad out of driving distance.

 

[All7OfUs]

Evenin' all! I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Wish I was able to get to your DIS meet... it is a tad out of driving distance.

Then fly, Silly. YOu could help Mike be our designated drivers...

 

[that's nice]

Then fly, Silly. YOu could help Mike be our designated drivers...

HAHA!!!! I don't see THAT happening!

(not the flying, but being a DD)

 

[All7OfUs]

HAHA!!!! I don't see THAT happening!

(not the flying, but being a DD)

I don't see you as a Pinot Noir kind of guy- more rather a ummm... lemme see what were those vile sounding things- oh yes, car bombs... Regardless, we've got some seriously sounding fun things cooked (literally) up, and I'm not talking about Sweeney Todd.

 

[that's nice]

I don't see you as a Pinot Noir kind of guy- more rather a ummm... lemme see what were those vile sounding things- oh yes, car bombs... Regardless, we've got some seriously sounding fun things cooked (literally) up, and I'm not talking about Sweeney Todd.

I like to have a glass of wine every once in a while... I am more of a pinot grigio type of guy. You can always toss me a beer and that will usually shut me up.

Sorry, I don't do musicals.




I actually like musicals. LOL

 

[All7OfUs]

I SAW THAT - down there in white. I was trying to make a stupid joke about what we are NOT cooking up. I remember seeing that one as a kid and being completely mystified as to why someone would eat people. Clearly, I didn't get it. But then again, I still don't understand why anyone would eat a banana either.

 

[that's nice]

I SAW THAT - down there in white. I was trying to make a stupid joke about what we are NOT cooking up. I remember seeing that one as a kid and being completely mystified as to why someone would eat people. Clearly, I didn't get it. But then again, I still don't understand why anyone would eat a banana either.

I think I'd take the banana!

MAybe you can cook up some chocolate, place it on the banana, and then throw it in the freezer.

 

[All7OfUs]

I think I'd take the banana!

MAybe you can cook up some chocolate, place it on the banana, and then throw it in the freezer.

Only with nuts, and on a stick, and in front of the castle. Dang, I totally coulda done that tonight.... the girls are having a sleepover with 4 young ladies, and they just finished up banana splits- shoulda used some hot fudge sauce. Not sure how I would have solved the "lack of castle" part, though.

 

[that's nice]

Only with nuts, and on a stick, and in front of the castle. Dang, I totally coulda done that tonight.... the girls are having a sleepover with 4 young ladies, and they just finished up banana splits- shoulda used some hot fudge sauce. Not sure how I would have solved the "lack of castle" part, though.

You could of changed your computer background to the castle.. like my computer.

Or just use mine!

 

[PennyLane1084]

Soooo jealous for the DISmeet!! If I lived closer, I'd be there. Can't wait to read all about it. If there are peeps in the Midwest, I love to Organize a Midwestern DISmeet.

 

[All7OfUs]

You could of changed your computer background to the castle.. like my computer.

Or just use mine!

for some reason, my new Netbook won't let me set a picture to wallpaper. I've tried using a picture from my hard drive.

Soooo jealous for the DISmeet!! If I lived closer, I'd be there. Can't wait to read all about it. If there are peeps in the Midwest, I love to Organize a Midwestern DISmeet.

It'd be so very fun to meet you! Organizing a Meet isn't so hard- and totally worth the effort!!

 

[maroo]

By lunch, I was so full of joy! I just love sharing Disney with people who have never been able to experience it. The morning was incredible! Meeting Pinocchio first thing…then Monsters, Inc. picking them to talk to during the show…it was Disney magic at it's finest!

With Baker's food allergies and Sarah's preference for all vegetable dishes - it was a lot easier for us to eat at buffets…so I made a last minute reservation for 6 at Crystal Palace. That's right…a last minute reservation for six. Disney Magic.

Baker, like many children and adults with autism, is extremely intelligent. Although he doesn't talk, it is easy to see how bright he is because he is able to play with three smart phones at once. He will put different games on each of them and play them all at one time. Honestly very impressive to watch.

Here is a picture of him doing this at the beginning of our meal…

His Mom, in an effort to have him engage with the things going on around him - took away the phones for a minute or so…

And it resulted in this…

A very unhappy Baker.

By the time Tigger came around, Baker had his phone back.

You can probably tell from this picture that Baker really did not want to have anything to do with Tigger.


Tigger did not seem to realize that Baker was autistic and was not very patient with him (or us). Which was ok, since he probably didn't know.

But I rectified that pretty quickly by letting the CM standing behind Tigger know…I should have told them when I arrived. Lesson learned.

Tigger was very sweet to Sarah.

Eyeore was another story, though. He was so sweet to Baker. The message had definitely made it to the character handlers, because Eyeore spent a lot of time with Baker and Baker reached up and scratched his nose.

Looking back i realize that this was a huge turning point for Baker. We were so happy for this little connection!

You see Baker's eyes…He looked at Eyeore. And was interested in a character for the first time. Sweet Eyeore was so patient. I wish Eyeore knew how much he affected Baker and the rest of the trip!

Sarah got her pic with Eyeore, too!!


And notice the CM in the background…

This one…

Take note of her…I will come back to her.

Then Pooh came by…

See Baker's shirt…We wrote that on the back of all of his shirts because Baker is a runner…which means he often breaks away from groups at school and runs off. He doesn't do this as much with his family, but we knew it was possible at Disney. So we put this one each of his shirts: "I can not speak. If lost, please look at my collar for contact number" and we just wrote my cell phone and his Mom's cell phone number in his shirt collar. Thankfully, we never needed it!!

Baker really got into the characters after this. Pooh spent a bunch of time us…and Baker KISSED Pooh on the cheek.

I am not sure if I can do this justice. Baker's autism makes it really hard for him to connect with people. He kisses his family spontaneously…very rarely. He kisses his Mickey dolls. And there may be a few other people that he will hug, but for the most part Baker is like most severely autistic children and does not connect well with others. The fact that he spontaneously kissed Pooh was a huge step for him. His family was thrilled!!

It was so sweet.

Then Piglet. Sweet Piglet. I love Piglet!

Baker was into it now…He actually looked at Piglet and stared at Piglet long enough for me to get this picture…

That picture is one of my favorite pictures of this whole trip! It really illustrates the magic of Disney. Baker was connecting with the characters...which was SOOOOO cool!!


Remember her…

From earlier…

I went to get dessert after all of the characters came by and she stopped me. She was wondering how the characters did with Baker. I explained that Baker has autism and told her the gist of their story. She was blown away. She was shocked that I had only met them a few months before and was touring them around Disney - which I don't see as being a big deal at all - I am just showing my new friends some of my favorite things! She wanted their name and resort and room number. I had no idea why…but she had more magic up her sleeve.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Wow Maroo! What an amazing, amazing update. I had tears in my eyes while I read this! My very, very dear friend has an autistic child and I know how it feels to see interaction like that from having been around her son. There are times when he won't acknowledge my presence and others when he'll actually make eye contact with me.

It's heartwarming that Baker had such a positive experience at Crystal Palace. And what better place than at Disney, right? Such a wonderful turning point, I'm sure his parents were thrilled to see him interact so well! This picture is fabulous, his smile and look of curiosity is so sweet!

You did them such a wonderful service too, by not only taking them around but also alerting the character handlers to Baker's needs.

Ooooh, I'm wondering what that CM had up her sleeve for them!

 

[reelmom]

Oh, Maroo. How wonderful about Baker's interaction with the characters. I have had to wipe my eyes several times while reading your update. This was truly a magical experience.

 

[MaryAz]

How I wish I could come to the meet. Hopefully the next one.

Maroo That update was so sweet. I got all teary more than once. Thank you so much for sharing those amazing pics with us.

 

[that's nice]

Great update Mary!

It is almost like once Baker realized it was safe, he could interact with the characters and actually enjoy doing it.

The pictures of Baker with Pooh are amazing!

I can't believe how much magic has happened to this family in one day. I cannot wait to see what the CM had in store for all of you.

 

[englishrose47]

How wonderful to see Baker connect with the Charactors it is just so special!!

 

[Poolrat]

Baker was into it now…He actually looked at Piglet and stared at Piglet long enough for me to get this picture…

That picture is one of my favorite pictures of this whole trip! It really illustrates the magic of Disney. Baker was connecting with the characters...which was SOOOOO cool!!

Such Disney Magic!


It is great when a "connection is made". We all know how magical that place is and how special they make everyone feel.

That moment in time is what memories are all about.

Maroo, have you sent that one in for the "Let the memories begin?"

 

[mrsksomeday]

Maroo, I had huge tears streaming down my face reading that installment. There is nothing like Disney Magic, especially for Autistic children. What a wonderful thing for you to be able to witness. I can't wait to see what the CM does for Baker and his family.

God Bless you for being who you are .

 

[glennbo123]

I loved this update Maroo. I can't wait to hear what the additional magic was.